《打火匣》，1835 年
the tinder-box, 1835
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安徒生早期的童话故事借鉴了口头讲故事的传统，这些传统热衷于残酷、暴力、粗俗和低俗，并且以一种滑稽的模式发展，这与《卖火柴的小女孩》这类故事的虔诚基调非常不同。
andersen’s early fairy tales draw on oral storytelling traditions that revel in cruelty, violence, earthiness, and vulgarity and move in a burlesque mode very different from the pious tone of tales like “the little match girl”
因为其荒谬的过度情节（《打火匣》中的士兵犯了从忘恩负义、杀人到盗窃和弑君等一切罪行），但也因为其极为迷人的时刻（三条狗对婚礼充满惊奇），这个故事保留了一定的吸引力，使其尽管有许多暴力情节转折却依然流传。
in part because of its preposterous excesses (the soldier in “the tinderbox” is guilty of everything from ingratitude and homicide to theft and regicide) but also its exquisitely charming moments (the three dogs filled with wonder at the wedding), the story has retained a certain appeal that allows it to stay alive despite its many violent turns
《打火匣》是安徒生《童话集》的开篇故事，是他童话的第一部分。
“the tinderbox” was the opening tale of andersen’s eventyr, the first installment of his fairy tales
它基于一个名为《蜡烛精灵》的丹麦民间故事，并且多次暗指其他童话故事 ——《长发公主》（塔中的公主）、《汉赛尔与格莱特》（谷粒的踪迹）和《阿里巴巴和四十大盗》（门的标记）。
it is based on a danish folktale known as “the spirit of the candle” and has multiple allusions to other fairy tales—“rapunzel” (the princess in the tower), “hansel and gretel” (the trail of grain), and “ali baba and the forty thieves” (the marking of doors)
在他早期的儿童故事中，安徒生从不同文化的口头讲故事传统中借用了故事的片段，将它们拼凑在一起形成一个完整的叙述。
in his early stories for children, andersen borrowed bits and pieces of tales from the oral storytelling traditions of various cultures, cobbling them together to form a plete narrative
直到 1837 年《小美人鱼》出版之后，他才完全依靠自己的想象力来创作童话故事。
it was only after the publication of “the little mermaid” in 1837 that he relied fully on his own powers of imagination to construct fairy tales
《打火匣》中的士兵主角与格林兄弟和其他欧洲收集者的故事中的退伍军人有许多共同特征。
the soldier - hero of “the tinderbox” shares many traits with war veterans found in stories by the grimms and other european collectors
他残忍、贪婪又冲动，对于听这个故事的孩子来说，他算不上是个好榜样。
brutal, greedy, and impetuous, he is not much of a role model for children listening to the story
事实上，关于战后归来士兵的故事通常是面向成年观众而非儿童的，不过安徒生添加了足够的魔法和奇思妙想，使这个故事对老少都有吸引力。
indeed, stories about soldiers returning from war were generally intended for adult audiences rather than for children, although andersen adds enough magic and whimsy to make the tale attractive for young and old
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一个士兵正沿着大路行军：
a soldier came marching along the high road:
“左，右 —— 左，右。”
“left, right — left, right”
他背着背包，腰间佩剑；
he had his knapsack on his back, and a sword at his side;
他参加过战争，现在正在回家的路上。
he had been to the wars, and was now returning home
当他继续前行时，在路上遇到了一个长相非常可怕的老巫婆。
as he walked on, he met a very frightful - looking old witch in the road
她的下唇耷拉到胸前，她停下来说道：“晚上好，士兵；
her under - lip hung quite down on her breast, and she stopped and said, “good evening, soldier;
你有一把非常漂亮的剑，还有一个大背包，你是一个真正的士兵；
you have a very fine sword, and a large knapsack, and you are a real soldier;
所以你想要多少钱就可以得到多少钱。”
so you shall have as much money as ever you like”
“谢谢你，老巫婆。” 士兵说道。
“thank you, old witch,” said the soldier
“你看到那棵大树了吗？” 巫婆指着他们旁边的一棵树说道。
“do you see that large tree,” said the witch, pointing to a tree which stood beside them
“嗯，它里面完全是空的，你必须爬到树顶，到那时你会看到一个洞，通过这个洞你可以下到树里很深的地方。
“well, it is quite hollow inside, and you must climb to the top, when you will see a hole, through which you can let yourself down into the tree to a great depth
我会在你身上系一根绳子，这样当你向我呼喊时，我就可以把你拉上来。”
i will tie a rope round your body, so that i can pull you up again when you call out to me”
“但是我到树里面去做什么呢？”
“but what am i to do, down there in the tree”
士兵问道。
asked the soldier